Preferred diagnostic procedure in different subtypes of asthma as reported in the online survey
| Allergy doctors (%) | Respiratory doctors (%) | Generalists (%) | p-value# | |
| Mild type 2 asthma | ||||
| Spirometry with reversibility test | 95.0 | 96.4 | 86.9 | 0.001 |
| Peak flow | 24.1 | 27.8 | 39.3 | 0.04 |
| FeNO | 49.0 | 58.7 | 41.7 | <0.0001 |
| Blood eosinophils | 57.2 | 73.7 | 63.1 | <0.0001 |
| Total IgE | 49.7 | 63.6 | 41.7 | 0.006 |
| Skin prick test | 93.1 | 65.4 | 50.0 | <0.0001 |
| Specific IgE | 53.1 | 38.0 | 32.1 | 0.001 |
| Chest radiograph | 36.6 | 55.7 | 23.8 | <0.0001 |
| ENT examination | 31.7 | 31.4 | 29.8 | 0.95 |
| Bronchoscopy | 0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.12 |
| Bronchial provocation | 19.3 | 31.9 | 20.2 | 0.002 |
| Bacterial culture | 4.1 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 0.38 |
| Detailed history | 70.3 | 68.1 | 66.7 | 0.82 |
| Chest auscultation | 55.9 | 48.3 | 41.7 | 0.10 |
| Serial peak flow | 53.1 | 62.9 | 75.0 | 0.004 |
| Severe type 2 asthma | ||||
| Spirometry with reversibility test | 98.0 | 96.4 | 85.1 | 0.001 |
| Peak flow | 19.2 | 24.1 | 25.5 | 0.55 |
| FeNO | 74.8 | 79.9 | 48.9 | 0.004 |
| Blood eosinophils | 79.8 | 85.9 | 68.1 | 0.006 |
| Total IgE | 60.6 | 77.6 | 36.2 | <0.0001 |
| Skin prick test | 99.0 | 78.4 | 57.4 | <0.0001 |
| Specific IgE | 55.6 | 41.0 | 34.0 | 0.01 |
| Chest radiograph | 39.4 | 59.8 | 27.7 | <0.0001 |
| ENT examination | 40.4 | 34.6 | 27.7 | 0.30 |
| Bronchoscopy | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 0.86 |
| Bronchial provocation | 8.0 | 10.8 | 4.3 | 0.30 |
| Bacterial culture | 9.1 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 0.99 |
| Detailed history | 78.8 | 79.5 | 80.8 | 0.96 |
| Chest auscultation | 83.8 | 81.7 | 76.6 | 0.57 |
| Serial peak flow | 37.4 | 41.3 | 48.9 | 0.42 |
| Check prescriptions | 76.8 | 85.3 | 83.0 | 0.13 |
| Assess inhalation technique | 92.9 | 91.7 | 85.1 | 0.26 |
| Non-type 2 asthma | ||||
| Spirometry with reversibility test | 65.4 | 69.5 | 49.2 | <0.0001 |
| Peak flow | 14.6 | 21.0 | 28.4 | 0.009 |
| FeNO | 50.2 | 49.7 | 26.9 | <0.0001 |
| Blood eosinophils | 53.2 | 61.2 | 38.1 | <0.0001 |
| Total IgE | 44.9 | 479 | 19.4 | <0.0001 |
| Skin prick test | 26.3 | 14.2 | 9.0 | <0.0001 |
| Specific IgE | 22.4 | 25.2 | 11.9 | 0.007 |
| Chest radiograph | 49.30 | 55.9 | 30.6 | <0.0001 |
| ENT examination | 30.2 | 23.1 | 11.2 | <0.0001 |
| Bronchoscopy | 1.5 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 0.42 |
| Bronchial provocation | 1.5 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 0.17 |
| Bacterial culture | 17..1 | 17.8 | 4.5 | 0.001 |
| Detailed history | 65.8 | 67.8 | 53.7 | 0.01 |
| Chest auscultation | 68.8 | 71.2 | 61.2 | 0.12 |
| Occupational evaluation | 55.1 | 66.3 | 56.0 | 0.02 |
| Check adherence | 66.3 | 71.0 | 59.7 | 0.06 |
| Assess inhaler technique | 72.2 | 79.9 | 64.9 | 0.002 |
FeNO: exhaled nitric oxide fraction; Ig: immunoglobulin; ENT: ear, nose and throat. #: refers to comparisons among the three groups, using the Chi-squared test.